Improvement in package-wrappers



G. V. HEOKER. Package-Wrapper.

Patented Oct. 15; 1878.

N PETERS, PHDTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGEYV. HEOKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE V. HEOKER &'00., OF SAME PLACE.

lM PROVEMENT lN PACKAGE-WRAPPERS.

Specification forming part of Lettols Patent No. 909,044, dated October15, 1878; application filed March 9, 1878. 7

To all whom it may cancer-n:

Be it known that I, GEORGE V.'HECKER, of New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Package-Wrappers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved package-wrapper or bag-boxfilled and closed for transportation. Fig. 2 represents the samepartially filled, with the end open.

The object of my invention is to provide for safe transportation ofarticles which are usually shipped in the ordinary millers grainbag,

such bags being usually woven in one piece, and of a capacity of abouttwo bushels or two and a half bushels.

The articles to which I refer are small bags or packages made of thinpaper or very thin cloth, containing each from one or two to six oreight pounds of oatmeal, wheat -grits, selfraising flour, or similarproduct of milling, and, from the frail nature of their wrappers, areliable to be injured by the forcible contact of the bag containing themwith other freight during transportation and handling.

To this end the invention consists in providing a bag of suitable shapeand size with a lining of thin slats, attached by preference to the bag,and arranged at such distance apart as will protect the smaller packageswithin from being injured by forcible contact with other objects.

In the drawings, A represents a bag, which may be woven without seams,or made in suitable shape from canvas, burlap, or other suitable packingmaterial. a a represent straps and buckles, applied to the mouth of thebag for the purpose of closing it. B B (shown partly in full lines andpartly in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines of Fig. 1). areslats of wood or of metal, as may be preferred, secured to the inside ofthe bag. For packages of ordinary size, I prefer to use about six ofsuch slats, so that when the bag is filled with the small packages thereshall be two such slats upon each of the two opposite sides of the bagand one slat upon each of the two other sides. The slats are secured inproper position by being riveted to the fabric of which the bag iscomposed, as indicated by b. In using this wrapper, especially whenfilling it with small bags of proper material, I usually prefer to putin, first, a piece of board, 0.

It will be readily understood that placing the slats inside the baginstead of outside of it secures many advantages. For instance, if theywere attached to the outside great care must be taken to secure theirends and edges closely to the bag; otherwise they would soon be splitand broken in handling. In fact, they would be soon torn from the bag,because persons would naturally grasp them (the slats) when picking upthe filled wrapper. Again, when placed inside they will not beordinarily lost, even though the bag be so much worn as to become weakand let the rivets pull through, and even should the slats becomedetached from the bag they would continue to perform the function forwhich 1 employ them, which is, primarily, to protect the contents of thewrapper from being injured by violent contact with external objects, andnot to maintain the package-wrapper in proper shape prior to or duringfilling, nor to strengthen the flexible outside and support or sustainthe pressure or weight of the contents, nor to support the bottom pieceor end piece 0, as it will be seen that each of my inner pieces isdetached from all of the others, and performs its function independentlyof the rest. 7

I am aware that hoops of wire have been used inside of abag-shapedreceptacle or sack for the purpose of preserving the article indistended form-that is, to prevent the sides from collapsing toward thecenter of the hoops; but such construction is not the equivalent ofmine, as said hoops would not protect the contents of the pail or bucketthus formed from injury by contact with sharp corners or projecting endsof other freight, except, perhaps, in a very limited degree, and myslats do not,

in any degree prevent the sides of the bag from approaching each other;nor do my slats, combined with the bag, serve to support the bag againstthe outward pressure of the small packages packed therein, as the wovenfabric sustains the entire weight of the contents. In fact, were it notfor the bag, the slats would not maintain their relative position,except, perhaps, when the bag is filled with the smaller packages.

I do not wish to be limited to any specific number of slats to be usedwithin the bag, nor to their arrangement as shown in drawings, nor tothe employment, in combination with them, of the end pieces 0; and it isobvious that other means than rivets may be employed to secure the slatsin the position, and that the mouth of the bag may be closed by means oftwine placed in eyelet-holes, or even by the usual method of tying abag; nor do I wish to be limited to the use of any particular ma terialfor the bag itself; nor do I wish to be limited to securing the slats tothe bag, as some of the advantages may be secured by placing the slatsloosely within the fabric of which the bag is composed, it beingapparent that such modifications, or others, may be made withoutdeparting materially from the spirit of my invention, which consists incombinin g with a flexible fabric or material, formed two witnesses.GEO. V. BECKER.

Vitnesses STEPHEN H. GRAY, ANTHONY M. J OCKEL.

